The word influencer has been thrown around in the marketing world, and many people have no idea what it really means or how they can use influencers to help them with their business and marketing.
Influencer marketing is an innovative and effective new way to market products. Recent analysis reports that there has been a 90x interest in influencer marketing.
If you’re new to the concept, this guide will break down everything you need to know about it and how to take advantage of it to reach your target market.
Learn how to choose the right influencers, why they can be so effective, and even how to find them yourself in this guide to influencer marketing.
Influencer marketing is a method of advertising where companies pay individuals to promote or mention their products to their followers on social media. Companies must strategize about the best influencers for their products and then consider how they can make it worth these people's time.
Influencers might be bloggers with a big following, reality TV stars, or celebrities. Influencer marketing could be an effective tool if you want your company to grow and reach more customers.
There are two ways to engage influencers to promote your brand: paying them or creating an ongoing relationship where you help them out in return for free promotion.
Being an influencer these days doesn't always mean holding the most followers. It's more about who can inspire others and change someone's opinion or perception of a product or service.
Influencers need to be able to set themselves apart from their competition by using creativity, building relationships, and standing out in their industry.
There are four qualities that every great influencer should have:
Authenticity is being true to yourself while also remaining honest with your audience. You want people to know they can trust you with what you're telling them, and your advice comes from a place of expertise.
Honesty means not selling anything you don't believe in. When you're honest with yourself, it will show through your work on Instagram and other platforms, which will lead to greater engagement and influence among audiences.
Creativity is the most important quality for any influencer because, without it, there would be no inspiration for audiences outside of your creative pursuits.
Creativity includes understanding how different platforms work and how people interact with them daily so that you can capture attention where it matters most for both marketers looking for exposure and potential customers alike.
Finally, social responsibility is imperative if you want to be taken seriously as an influencer. For example, suppose an influencer promotes beauty products but isn't disclosing that they're actually getting paid by those brands (like when celebrities endorse makeup lines). In that case, it becomes difficult for anyone to trust what they say - even if the products are good.
For starters, chances are they'll significantly influence your sales numbers if you manage to get an influencer interested in your product. People trust others on social media more than traditional advertising. Cure Media reports that 49% of customers trust influencer recommendations more than brand recommendations.
On top of that, it's much cheaper to work with an influencer than hire an ad agency and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a commercial campaign.
One study by Grapevine found that influencer marketing can generate up to 2.5% conversion rates when done correctly.
When used properly by brands such as Adidas and Nike, among many others, these collaborations end up being mutually beneficial for both parties involved.
Yes. It is a matter of how authentic the influencer's follower base is to your brand. It can be worth it to spend money on influencers if they are transparent with their followers about working together.
According to Influencer Marketing Hub, 90% of marketers consider influencer marketing an effective marketing type.
However, an influencer with no relationship with your company will not work for you. In these cases, the content produced may be good, but it does not translate into sales for the company.
Identifying what type of influencer you want to work with is important before reaching out. A lot of this will depend on your goals and what kind of personality you're looking for.
Suppose you're looking for somebody lighthearted and funny. In that case, it's best to go after a YouTuber specializing in comedy skits or pranks rather than somebody who reviews beauty products all day long.
There are five types of social media influencers:
What makes them influential is the quality of their content combined with the size of their following. Let's look at each type briefly:
These people have millions of followers or subscribers on a given social media platform, and they're typically celebrities or people with celebrity status.
With 1 million followers or more, these are the types of influencers that you will see partnering with brands and agencies on campaigns. They typically have a strong social media following and extensive knowledge in a niche field. The good news is that they are much easier to connect with than micro-influencers!
Macro-influencers have between 500,000 and 1 million followers/subscribers on social media, and they could be celebrities but not as famous as mega-influencers.
Macro-influencers are experts in their field and have a huge following. They're perfect for recommending products or services as they're trusted by their audience. That said, it can be hard for micro-influencers with a smaller reach and engagement to compete with an endorsement from someone at this level. Use them where you can and give them more high quality content so that they might help you out in return.
They have anywhere from 50,000 to 500,000 followers/subscribers on social media platforms.
These people usually have anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 followers/subscribers on social media platforms, and their posts can range from quotes to beauty tips.
This is the smallest form of influencer because they have around 1,000 to 10,000 followers on social media platforms.
Influencer marketing is a powerful way to get your brand in front of an engaged audience. In addition, influencers are likelier to share your content because they have a natural connection to it and are more invested in the story.
According to a recent survey from L2, 62% of marketers plan on using influencers for their next campaign; if you're not taking this form of advertising seriously, you'll soon lag.
Here's how to do it right:
Find micro-influencers with relevant, niche audiences. Offer them product samples or freebies that align with their interests in exchange for sharing your posts. Give them full creative control over what they post so that the content reflects well on both parties involved; don't just tell them what to say.
You can also hire agencies or firms who specialize in managing influencer campaigns like Tailwind or Hootsuite so that you don't have to worry about every little detail.
With proper planning and execution, influencer marketing can be one of the most effective forms of advertising available today. And all it takes is some creativity and willingness to take risks.
It's important to know the difference between influencer marketing and affiliate marketing because they are not the same. They each have a different way of making money and offer different benefits.
On the one hand, an affiliate marketer would recommend products or services on their website, and then you can buy them at a lower price if you follow through with the purchase.
On the other hand, influencer marketers usually use social media to promote themselves as an authority in their field, then offer other companies products or services for either free or a commission percentage.
The pay is much higher with influencer marketing than affiliate marketing because so many people see your content and buy something without you even having to ask them.
You'll never be able to track how many sales came from an individual post, but when it comes down to choosing which type of marketing will work best for you, keep in mind how much time and effort you're willing to put into marketing your product.
Influencer marketing may be better if you want to make more money immediately. On the other hand, affiliate marketing may be the better option if you want more security in your investment and want some certainty about how much you'll make in return.
Additionally, there are no guarantees with influencer marketing; all you can do is put out quality content and hope it pays off in the long run. With affiliate marketing, you'll always know how much you've made per sale because the cost of the item is deducted from your profits.
Influencer marketing is riskier than affiliate marketing but has greater potential rewards.
Often, we associate influencers with celebrities. While both have the potential to reach a wide audience and have a broad impact on purchasing decisions, they also differ in some key ways.
Celebrities often promote one product, whereas influencers may promote many different products within one niche or category.
Additionally, celebrities' endorsements are considered more trustworthy because consumers perceive them as impartial. In contrast, influencers are seen as promoting products they use and love; their advocacy might seem less objective.
However, people's relationships with the two types of endorsers are changing, largely due to how much more accessible brands have become through social media channels like YouTube and Instagram.
Influencer marketing can be a powerful way to promote your brand and bring new followers to your site. However, it's the tip of the iceberg as far as social media goes since it's only now starting to become a tool for businesses.
There are all sorts of ways that brands can leverage influencers, which helps customers organically find information about products.
For example, the owner of a soap company might consider reaching out to stylists for DIY fashion shows and having them use their soap. That might seem an unusual choice at first, but it's working beautifully. The soap is getting tons of attention, and people are excited to see how well it cleanses while adding fragrance.
Influencer marketing is a great idea if you're willing to put in some effort to think outside the box.
If you need help figuring out who the right influencers are for your business, there are tools like Nimble or Contently that will help connect you with suitable options. These platforms allow you to sort through thousands of possibilities and contact potential partners based on what type of content they create and what interests they have.
Once you've found someone perfect for your needs, sending a direct message through the platform allows you to set up contracts and make payments easily without going back and forth in emails. What could be easier?
The road map for success is clear: if you want exposure and high conversion rates, start by engaging influencers today!
Influencer marketing is a new and unconventional approach that can help your business get noticed.
Not only does it give your brand the chance to stand out from competitors, but it also has a higher success rate. Influencers may have tens of thousands of followers, and these people see what their favorite Instagrammer likes and follows. Hence, they are more likely to be intrigued by whatever this influencer posts.
At the end of the day, you want people not just to buy your product because they know it will make them happy; you want them to buy it because they want to stand out in a crowd.
Influencers are really good at making consumers feel unique and special in a competitive world full of products that all do basically the same thing. That's why brands need to work with those who don't just care about getting paid or racking up followers but rather find ways to create meaningful connections with their audiences.
The right influencer could take your brand and transform it into something unforgettable. Find someone who knows how to speak the language of your target audience; someone who creates content based on what’s relevant today. There are plenty of social media stars waiting for you to find them!